This original, desert oil painting, “Desert Gold” is an impressionist painting of a California desert near La Quinta, California. My family and I visit this desert several times a year and go hiking with my sisters’ family who lives there. I live on the coast, so I love the contrast of the warm and relaxing desert air. When hiking in this desert area, you can almost hear the native drums. So peaceful, quiet, and mysteriously healing. On this day the light hit the mountains and bushes in a way that felt soft and airy. I put this feeling of softness and atmosphere in the painting with loose brushwork and thick paint. This original desert oil painting has a variety of vibrant colors: golds, purples, blues, pinks, earth tones, and yellows. I painted this original desert oil painting from a series of photos I took on this day of hiking with family.

“I have always loved the desert, one sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams…..” Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

Recent Paintings

Original Oil Paintings

Kathleen paints original oil paintings in the impressionist style. Most of them are painted in Plein Air alla prima, which means outdoors all in one sitting. She is inspired by the works of famous artists like Cecilia Beaux, Franz Bischoff, and Joaquin Sorolla. Learn more about the impressionist painter and her life and works in the about section.

Original oil paintings have a special place in the heart of collectors as they are one of a kind pieces that only one person owns. Although artists often paint the same location over and over, no two original paintings will ever be the same, as every brushstroke and oil pigment is unique and unreplicable. Take a look at her oil painting blog to see the paintings as they are created weekly with some commentary, or check out her oil paintings for sale to find out how to buy them in person or online.